Abstract
ABSTRACT HPTLC analysis was used to determine the amino acid content in the digestive gland-gonad complex (DGG) of Biomphalaria glabrata snails infected with larval Schistosoma mansoni for eight weeks. DGGs of infected and control snails were pooled, extracted in ethanol, and chromatographed using various sorbent-mobile phase combinations applicable to amino acid analysis. Zones were detected with ninhydrin and quantified by densitometry.Qualitative analysis showed the presence of histidine, lysine, alanine, methionine, threonine, asparagine, proline, and leucine/isoleucine in both the infected and uninfected DGGs. Quantitative analysis was done on histidine, lysine, alanine, and methionine, but only lysine showed a significant reduction (Student's t-test, P<0.05) in concentration in the DGGs of infected snails compared to the controls. Lysine, an essential amino acid for the developing schistosome larvae, is obtained in significant amounts from the snail DGG.
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